My MOOC experience

This week I started (as a participant) with a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course). The assignment at the end of the first week is blogging your learning journal of this first week. So this is it!

In this blog I’ll share my thoughts of the MOOC – course: how to create an outstanding MOOC.#outstandingMOOC

This MOOC built by HT2 in the Curatr platform, gives the participants the opportunity to get a grip of the aspects that distinguish a good MOOC from a bad MOOC. And build a good MOOC in Curatr.

I’m following this MOOC because I am interested in MOOC’s as a online learning tool. In the first week I’ve learned a MOOC is much more than I first expected.

A MOOC combines al sorts of learning instruments and makes connected social learning possible. A more suitable name would be a massive online open conference.

As a learning development specialist (like myself) it is impossible to follow a MOOC without continuoulsy thinking of the participant and facilitator sides. In this MOOC that’s just a good thing. The perfect learning situation is looking from the participant side to a learning product. That makes me an experience based expert.

Goal: learning how to build a MOOC that’s rated as good by the participants, that stimulates the learners to take a look at the content, reflect on the content and last, but not least, connects with the content and with others. Creating new knowledge and experience.

The main goal following a MOOC is not viewing content, but creating a network of people with equal interest, with different workplaces and different views. Together it is possible to create new information/ knowledge. And to find new solutions you couldn’t find on your own.

What makes a MOOC a good MOOC?

The success factor of following a MOOC depends on the personal motivation of the learner. ..not very different from other forms of learning, you may think. Exactly: motivation and personal goals are the way to success in learning. Also in a good MOOC.

A MOOC, is rated as good, if:

it stimulates the participant with fitting, challenging content

it puts the participant in charge of making choices about what to read/ what to learn

it stimulates the participant to create new content (articles, videos, blogs, etc)

it stimulates discussion with other participants

it stimulates reflection by asking questions and give information/ feedback in the role of facilitator

it stimulates reflection from content to personal situation and learning goals

it stimulates using other platforms to get knowledge from outside- in, during the process

it organizes chat sessions, live sessions for personal contact

it stimulates making connections and networks

With a good MOOC you can participate in a high intensity learning process. If you’re an active participant that knows how the platform works, you can go into the content and make your own choices which content fits your learning goals.

A MOOC is so much more than online self-study activity (like SCORM packages for example). That’s one-way learning. A good MOOC is building a community circle (of learning). It makes it possible to learn for a long (life) time and make connections which you can use during your whole life (if you wish to;-).

What makes a MOOC participant a good learner?

you need to know what your personal learning goals are

you need to make/have time to participate

you need to know the platform ins and outs so you can use it well

you need to know that building connections and learn from each other is the main thing and worth the most in your learning process.

you need a place where you can reflect (for example a blog) and a place where you can make further contact with other participants (for example twitter)

Building a good MOOC is a challenge, following a MOOC is far more a challenge.

In the MOOCs I followed so far, it’s the learner that not uses all of the aspects that makes learning successful. Making contact with others is not the first thing learners do. Only a few do. But making contact with others in MOOC’s is under-utilized, most learners view content, place the minimum reactions. With my first MOOC I did just that. Because I didn’t know that the main goal was connecting and the use of social learning at its finest. Now I know, I learn differently in this MOOC.

My challenge: create an outstanding MOOC!

I will create a MOOC that helps MOOC participants to learn how to participate (and learn successful) in a MOOC.

[…] participant in the following MOOC (Massive Online Open Course): How to create an outstanding MOOC (more information). I didn’t plan to get involved in another MOOC, basically cause I’m short on time […]